Feeling the Pull
by liadela
Summary: Chad's brain barely has time to register the sight of Will and Ryan holding hands before he's out the door, mumbling some excuse about meeting Abby. One-shot. Chad/Will


Chad's brain barely has time to register the sight of Will and Ryan holding hands before he's out the door, mumbling some excuse about meeting Abby. He's not fast enough to miss the hurt look cross Will's face but it can't compete with the sinking feeling in his stomach. He walks faster, trying to leave the pub and the thoughts in his head far behind.

As he rounds the corner heading toward the pier, he hears footsteps fast approaching. He walks even faster, wondering what took him so long. He's used to Will being right on his heels. Maybe Ryan tried to stop him, told him things like "let him go" or "he's not worth it."

_Ryan_.

Will never introduced Ryan as his boyfriend or anything but it was pretty obvious from the way they looked at each other they were more than friends.

It's not that he cares Will's gay. He doesn't. He's known for a few weeks now, since Gabi let in slip one night. She was vulnerable and flustered and he promised he wouldn't say anything. And he didn't and nothing changed.

Then Ryan showed up. It wasn't exactly tense now but it wasn't like before. Now when he and Will did talk, when he wasn't avoiding Will, it was mostly superficial small talk. It's not that he wants to avoid Will, it's just that Ryan was always with him and he wanted to avoid them, together. He knew Will noticed, was noticing, but he couldn't help it.

He was resolved to try harder so tonight, when he walked into the pub and saw them sitting together, he fought the urge to turn and leave. Will caught his eye immediately and gestured for him to come over. He invited him to hang out for a while, maybe go see a movie with them. He asked like it was the most natural thing in the world, missing the look Ryan shot him from across the table.

Luckily, Chad didn't miss it. It makes his pre-made decision not to go easier and even more justifiable, it's not like he wanted to be the third wheel anyway. He opened his mouth, trying to think of a decent excuse, one he hasn't already used in the past few weeks when Ryan interrupted.

"Yeah," he said slowly, looking up at Chad. "You should join us," he added, leaning forward and grabbing Will's hand, a smile plastered across his face.

If there was any doubt left as to why Chad felt the way he did, why he suddenly felt uncomfortable around Will, why he didn't like Ryan without even knowing him, it was gone now. He knew exactly what was bothering him and it left him feeling shaky. So he ran without looking back.

But now he can tell Will is gaining on him so he slows down, unsure what he'll say but deciding just to get this over with.

"Following me?" He asks, trying his best to feign his usual, casual annoyance. He doesn't bother turning around so he's surprised when he feels Will grab his arm and turn him around roughly to face him. Chad yanks his arm back, breaking free from Will's grip, briefly thinking it's been awhile since they got into a fistfight.

"What is your problem?" Will asks sharply, red-faced and breathing hard.

He knows why Will's angry. He knows what it looks like and what Will's expecting him to say. And he could. He could say he doesn't want to be Will's friend anymore, can't stand to be around him, and this will all be over. It would be cruel to let him believe the worst but it would end this and he won't have to think about what any of this means or if there's a limit to the adage that DiMeras never turn away family. And Will can move on with his life, with Ryan or anyone else if he wants to. But underneath the anger, he can see something else in Will's eyes - hurt - and any fight in him dissipates.

"Fuck," Chad mutters, closing the short distance between them and crashing his lips against Will's.

The force knocks Will back and he reaches out blindly, grabbing the front of Chad's shirt to steady himself. Chad works his mouth against Will 's desperately and Will fists the material of Chad's shirt tighter, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss.

He hums into Will's mouth and lets his hands run over his broad shoulders and down his arms before settling on his hips. He presses against him harder and Will pushes back, returning the kiss eagerly. Relief floods through him, and he can almost pretend they're the only two people on earth, the last few weeks never happened and that Ryan doesn't exist.

_Ryan._

He groans and pulls away reluctantly, swaying slightly on his feet as he takes a small step back. He avoids Will's eyes as he looks around. He's still close enough to feel the heat radiating off of Will's body and he swears Will can probably hear his heart hammering in his chest. He tries to catch his breath, every fear and concern slamming back into him.

Will seems to understand and places a hand on his chest. It's comforting and his eyes snap back to look at him.

He can see the mix of emotions in Will's eyes – fear, uncertainty, lust, and something else altogether that makes his chest tighten. But more importantly, he sees Will. He remembers all the times they pushed each other, stood up for each other, and helped each other out. They had gone through some of the best and worst times of their lives together. He doesn't know why he didn't see it before but he sees it now and he knows no matter what happens next, it's worth the risk.

Chad brings his hand up, his fingertips moving lightly over the soft skin of Will's cheek. He can feel the rise and fall of Will's chest against his as his breathing becomes more labored. He leans down slowly, their noses bumping together, and brushes his lips over Will's softly, deliberately.

Will's lips part and Chad takes it as an invitation, sliding his tongue into Will's mouth. Will tips his head back further and pulls him closer. He shifts his hips against Chad and a shiver runs down his spine.

He hears footsteps in the distance and panics. He jerks back, pushing Will's hands away as he scrambles to put some space between them. He can't entirely explain this to himself yet, he certainly doesn't want to try explaining it to someone else. He swallows hard, his eyes never leaving Will, hoping he understands.

Will studies him, his chest heaving and his cheeks flushed. He licks his lips and Chad forces himself to look away again. He turns to look in the direction of the footsteps and waits.

_Ryan._

He rolls his eyes and turns to look back at Will. Will shoves his hands in his pockets and shrugs. Chad tilts his head in the general direction of his house, trying to tell Will he's leaving and letting him handle this on his own. Will nods in understanding so he takes off, looking back once to see the two having a pretty intense conversation. He casts one last glance at Will before turning and heading home, pretty sure he'll be hearing about it soon.


End file.
